Pac-12 Championship Game Spread Pick
Neither the Utah Utes nor the Washington Huskies will be competing for a college football playoff berth Friday night at 8:00 p.m. ET. That said, the winner will become the Pac-12 Champion for 2018. Will the Huskies be crowned champs and also cover as a small favorite?
Game Snapshot
305 Utah Utes at 306 Washington Huskies
8:00 p.m. ET, Friday, November 30, 2018
Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, California
Public Betting Trends
According to oddsmakers from online sports book BetNow.eu, the Huskies are 5.5-point favorites to beat the Utes. The total, meanwhile, sits at 45 points. As of this writing, 64% of the public betting tickets wagered on this matchup are on the Huskies.
Utah Utes
Utah freshman QB Jason Shelley completed 19-of-28 passes for 141 yards and one touchdown, and he added 61 yards and one touchdown on the ground in Saturday’s 35-27 win over BYU. This game wasn’t pretty, but they did enough late to walk away with a win. In fact, the Utes needed to score 21 points in the fourth quarter to get it done. Shelley put the game away on a 33-yard touchdown run with one minute left on the clock, but the freshman quarterback will have his hands full against Washington in the Pac-12 Championship Game. The Utes will need a lot more than today’s 5.0 YPA to pull off the upset.
Washington Huskies
Washington senior QB Jake Browning completed 17-of-23 passes for 242 yards with three scores in a 42-23 victory over Oregon State on Saturday. Browning was outstanding — particularly in the first half — and has his second three-score passing game of the season. He also ran for 30 yards, and he showed the accuracy and poise that made him a star as a sophomore. If Browning plays like this next Friday, the Huskies have an excellent chance of upsetting Washington State and playing for a conference championship.
Betting Trends
Utah
The Utes are 6-1 against the spread in their last seven conference games.
Washington
The Huskies are 1-6 against the spread in their last seven games overall and just 1-7 at the betting window in their last eight conference games.
Prediction
I don’t like Utah in this spot. Shelley was able to lead the Utes to victory a week ago but the freshman quarterback will have his hands full with a Washington defense that owns the No. 8 scoring defense in the nation (16.5 points per game). The Huskies aren’t explosively offensively but if they build a lead it’ll be difficult for Shelley to bring the Utes back. Washington hasn’t had the season that many in Seattle envisioned coming into the year but if they win on Friday night, they will have spoiled their biggest rival’s playoff hopes and clinch another Pac-12 championship.
Pac-12 Championship Game Prediction: Washington Huskies -5.5